Pour un iPhone
Nomad Stand One V4
A metal and glass charging stand that holds the phone upright, AirPods included.
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Gift ideas · 6 min read
Gifts for remote workers: 3 design objects for the home desk
A mug that keeps coffee hot, a metal and glass charger, a paper tablet: three design gifts for anyone who works from home.
Our pick: Ember Mug 2See on Amazon
Our pick
Ember Mug 2
If you give only one gift to someone working from home, choose the white 414 ml Ember Mug 2: it keeps coffee or tea at the temperature they choose for up to 80 minutes on battery, and all day on its heated coaster. It is the object they will use most often, several times a day, and its plain look fits any desk.
Live price and availability on amazon.com.be
Other situations
For someone with an iPhone, the silver Nomad Stand One V4 charges the phone upright, in metal and glass, with a spot for AirPods. For the person who fills notebooks in meetings, the reMarkable Paper Pro replaces paper with a colour screen you write on with a stylus, with no notifications.
One model per use
Pour les notes
reMarkable Paper Pro with Marker Plus
A colour paper tablet for writing with a stylus, with no notifications.
The three picks, side by side
| Model | What it does | Power | Format | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Our pickEmber — Mug 2, 414 ml smart heated mug (white) | temperature set in the Ember app, 57 °C by default without the app, LED indicator, auto sleep | up to 80 min on battery, all day on its charging coaster | 414 ml, scratch-resistant coating, hand wash only, submersible to 1 m (IPX7) | See on Amazon |
| Pour un iPhoneNomad — Stand One V4, 2-in-1 MagSafe Qi2.2 wireless charger (silver) | MagSafe and Qi2 up to 25 W, AirPods up to 5 W, StandBy mode compatible | 2 m USB-C cable included, 40 W USB-C power adapter required, not included | 127 × 83 × 69 mm, 575 g, metal chassis, glass panel, non-slip base | See on Amazon |
| Pour les notesreMarkable — Paper Pro with Marker Plus | 11.8-inch colour display, 2160 × 1620 at 229 ppi, adjustable light, Marker Plus stylus with eraser | up to 2 weeks according to reMarkable, 0 to 90% in 90 minutes, USB-C | 274.1 × 196.6 × 5.1 mm, 525 g, 64 GB | See on Amazon |
How these were chosen
- Used every working-from-home day
- The right gift is the one they touch every morning: the hot drink, the phone on the desk, the meeting notes. A gadget used once a month ends up in a drawer.
- An object you leave on display
- A home office shares the room with private life. All three are in understated materials and colours, designed to stay on the desk.
- What else it needs
- A gift should work straight out of the box. Check the person’s phone for the charger, and the power adapter it needs: some parts are not in the box.
A gift for every working-from-home day
Working from home means spending your days at the same desk with the same routines: the morning coffee going cold during the first meeting, the phone lying flat between piles of paper, the notebook filling up with notes you can never find again.
Each of the three gifts in this guide answers one of those routines. They are not gadgets: they are everyday objects, better designed and a little smarter than the ones they replace, and good-looking enough to stay on the desk.
For Saint Nicholas, Christmas or a leaving do
The Ember mug is the easiest to give: it suits anyone who drinks coffee or tea, without knowing anything about their kit. It also works as a group gift for a colleague who is leaving, or for Saint Nicholas on 6 December.
The Nomad charger and the reMarkable need you to know the person better: the first mainly targets iPhone users, the second people who write a lot by hand. Chosen well, they are the gifts that make the biggest impression, because they change a working habit.
How these three were chosen
Three objects available on Amazon, from brands that publish a complete spec sheet, covering three distinct moments of the working-from-home day: the hot drink, the phone, the notes. Keyboards, mice and desk lamps have their own guides on the site.
None was tested in a lab. The characteristics quoted come from the manufacturer pages and the Amazon listings, nothing else. Each card below also says when not to give it.
The models in detail
Our pick
Ember Mug 2414 ml smart heated mug (white)
A heated mug that holds your drink at the temperature you set in the Ember app, for up to 80 minutes on battery or all day on its charging coaster. European version, supplied with mains adapters for Europe and the UK.
- What it doestemperature set in the Ember app, 57 °C by default without the app, LED indicator, auto sleep
- Powerup to 80 min on battery, all day on its charging coaster
- Format414 ml, scratch-resistant coating, hand wash only, submersible to 1 m (IPX7)
Avoid ifThey put everything in the dishwasher or mostly drink cold: the Ember is hand wash only and is made for hot drinks.
See on AmazonLive price and availability on amazon.com.be
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Pour un iPhone
Nomad Stand One V42-in-1 MagSafe Qi2.2 wireless charger (silver)
A weighted metal and glass charging stand that holds an iPhone upright and charges it at up to 25 W, with a Qi spot in the base for AirPods. The fixed angle suits the iPhone’s StandBy mode.
- What it doesMagSafe and Qi2 up to 25 W, AirPods up to 5 W, StandBy mode compatible
- Power2 m USB-C cable included, 40 W USB-C power adapter required, not included
- Format127 × 83 × 69 mm, 575 g, metal chassis, glass panel, non-slip base
Avoid ifThey have neither a MagSafe iPhone nor a Qi2 phone, or want to charge an Apple Watch: it does not support one.
See on AmazonLive price and availability on amazon.com.be
Pour les notes
reMarkable Paper Pro with Marker Plus
An 11.8-inch paper tablet with a Canvas Color display and adjustable reading light, on which you write with a stylus as on a sheet of paper. It converts handwriting to text, annotates PDFs and offers no apps and no notifications.
- What it does11.8-inch colour display, 2160 × 1620 at 229 ppi, adjustable light, Marker Plus stylus with eraser
- Powerup to 2 weeks according to reMarkable, 0 to 90% in 90 minutes, USB-C
- Format274.1 × 196.6 × 5.1 mm, 525 g, 64 GB
Avoid ifThey want a tablet for videos and apps, or rarely take notes by hand: a notebook will do.
See on AmazonLive price and availability on amazon.com.be
Frequently asked questions
What is a good gift for someone who works from home?
An object they use every day at their home desk and are happy to leave on display. The Ember Mug 2 heated mug suits almost everyone, the Nomad Stand One V4 charger suits iPhone owners, and the reMarkable Paper Pro suits people who take a lot of handwritten notes.
Is the Ember mug dishwasher safe?
No. According to Ember and the Amazon listing, the Ember Mug 2 is hand wash only. It is submersible to 1 m (IPX7), so it can go in the sink without worry, but not in the dishwasher or the microwave.
Does the Nomad Stand One V4 work without an iPhone?
Nomad describes it as MagSafe and Qi2 compatible: it holds and charges phones with those magnets at up to 25 W. A device without magnets can charge on the Qi spot in the base, at up to 5 W. It does not charge an Apple Watch.
What else do you need to buy with the Nomad Stand One?
A 40 W USB-C power adapter: Nomad says it is required and not included. The 2 m USB-C to USB-C cable is in the box.
Can the reMarkable Paper Pro replace a tablet?
No, and that is the point: it is for writing, annotating PDFs and reading documents, with no apps, social media or notifications. For videos or apps, a regular tablet is still needed.